Somewhere Out There
by Gloredhel
Summary: This is a very moving fic about Danny after his death. it is in third person narration, and i was crying when i wrote it lol. WARNING: you may want to read m y Fly Away From Here story as an introduction to the character of Susie, as she is in this and yo


DISCLAIMER: anything you don't recognize from the movie is mine. The title is the name of a song from the movie "Fievel" (*hehe*)  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: well i don't know what to do about pearl harbor fics anymore! i want to write a Vietnam-related fic, i have all the characters in mind. man, it'll be great. but where do i post it?? if you want me to just send it to you (it should be really good) just email me: luxieb73@aol.com. gracias. anyway, this story takes place at Danny's funeral. It's from a few perspectives (Rafe, Susie, Evelynn, and Red), and each will be marked so that you don't get confused. ENJOY! and REVIEW!  
  
  
  
Somewhere Out There  
  
  
...The coffin lay perched on a pier, the american flag draped gently over its lid. People filed slowly past, paying their last respects to the fallen soldier. Some were in uniform, some were in black. A girl with wavy black hair approached the casket and laid her hand on it. A lone tear streamed down her pale, freckled cheek as she looked up at the bright blue sky...  
  
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(Evelynn)  
  
And so it ends, Danny. I will never be able to forget your smile, or the way you looked as you watched the sunset. If only I could have told you that I'm pregnant, you might not have gone on that damned mission! I know that you feared my love for Rafe would always overshadow my love for you. But they were equal loves... yet different somehow. I will never forget the night you took me out to see the sunset, and wound up seeing in you a person that I could be with, and person that I could love. Now that you're gone, there will always be an empty space in my heart, an empty space in my soul. I will always love you Danny.  
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...As she slowly walks away, a young man with red hair sidles up beside the deceased...  
  
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(Red)  
  
First Betty and now you? Oh Walker, it could have been so different. I watched you die, I stood there and watched. There wasn't nothing I could've done, but I still feel like I could have saved you somehow. I know you're with God now, buddy, and that you'll take care of Betty up there. Tell her I love her, okay? And hey Danny...I love you too.  
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...A girl with straight brown hair comes behind the young man and places her hand on his shoulder. He turns and hugs her, then says something to her about the dead boy, wiping a tear away from her wet hazel eyes. As he walks away, the girl first looks at the coffin and then spins around and looks towards a young man standing in the crowd, a young man with the same eyes as she. He nods at her and she smiles weakly, turning back to the pine box before her. The girl rests her hands on the lid and begins to cry. Overcome with grief she drops to her knees, hands remaining on the casket...  
  
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(Susie)  
  
I told you not to go...but it was your duty, wasn't it? How can I go on now? I miss you Danny Boy, I miss the way we used to study together while Rafe was at games. I miss the way your arms felt around me...and the way your eyes would stare straight into mine for hours. I can't live like this! They gave me your hat, and I sleep with it at night. Rafe got your tags. He never takes them off. I know this is not goodbye, Danny. One day I'll be able to hold you again. It'll be like old times...remember old times? Tag in the fields, lemonade on the...oh god, who am I kiddin? You are with me forever. I will never be able to let go of you, 'cause you and me are two of the same. I'll wait for you forever, like I promised a year ago. I love you.  
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...The man to whom she had looked before came to her side and helped the girl up. He held her tightly to his chest as she sobbed, and, as he looked down at the wooden box in which in best friend lay, he too began to cry. He knew the boy in there was dead, but the young man could still hear his voice. He clutched the girl harder and closed his eyes...  
  
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(Rafe)  
  
Land of the free, huh? Home of the Brave. You died for me, Danny. After every horrible thing I said for you, you still saved my life. It should have been me, I know it. You had so much to live for, so many people who need you even now. Susie will never be able to get over this...and Evelynn's baby needs its real father. Lord, it should have been me! I watched as the life left your body, the same body that pretended to fly with me when we were little in the barn. The same body that swam with me in the summer or ran with me in the spring. I held your hands as you died, and as I held them I remembered how those hands used to help me read and spell, how they held glasses of ice water and juice, and how they slapped me five when we accomplished something great. I was holding those very hands. You didn't look scared though, only in the beginning. Tell me it didn't hurt too bad...tell me you had some level of comfort when you passed. If I could give myself in return for you I would. I miss you, I'll miss you forever. I love you, Walker.  
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...The two backed slowly away from the coffin as the American flag was folded by two soldiers and placed in a glass box. One officer handed it to the weeping man and his sister as they watched in sorrow. The coffin was lifted and carried down the narrow path to the plot next to a house in Tennessee where he had often stayed. Cautiously, the box was lowered into the ground and dirt began to fill the hole in which it settled...  
  
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Danny sat on the porch and watched as the funeral proceeded. He watched as the dirt began to cover his body. Susie came and sat beside him, pulling her knees up with her arms and laying her head on them. Danny gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, she turned her head and seemed to stare him straight in the eyes. Minutes passed, minutes that seemed to be hours.   
"Danny?" she squinted through her tears, the sun shining on her face.  
Danny leaned in. "Yes," he whispered. "It's me, Suze."  
"Danny, is that you?" her mouth contorted in confusion.  
"I miss you," he continued, tears welling up in his eyes. "I want to stay with you, forever."  
"What's that?" Rafe asked as he approached his little sister. Danny drew his hand back from her arm.  
"I-I...I thought you were Danny for a second," Susie muttered. "The sun must have been playin' tricks on my eyes. Is it over now?"  
"Yea, girly. It's done. Let's go home." He extended his hand and helped her up. Danny stood, watching and crying.  
He listened as they walked away.  
"I hope he's at peace," Susie whispered.  
"I'm sure he is. His memory will stay with us kiddoe, but he'll find comfort where he's at now," Rafe responded looking at the sky as his tears dried.  
Danny looked after them as they went into the house.  
"I want to stay with you forever," he whispered gently, the tears falling slowly down his cheeks. "But I can't."   
He raised his hand in a good-bye, and walked off toward the road.  
"I'll see you all again," he said, looking back out at the fields where he had once played.  
And then he was gone.  
  
"Danny!!" Susie screamed as she ran back out the front door and onto the lawn. Her eyes were overflowing as she scanned the surroundings.  
"What are you doin?" Rafe asked as he stepped up behind her. He had followed her when she ran.  
"I thought he was here," she cried, hugging him close. "I just had a feeling that he was here again."  
"No Suze," Rafe cooed softly. "He's gone now. Let's go inside."  
  
Together they made their way up the stairs and into the old house. Before shutting the door, Rafe looked outside.  
"Goodbye Buddy," he smiled weakly, saluting.  
The door closed and all was calm, but nothing would ever be the same again.  
  
Fin 


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